There is nothing worse than not being able to wear your favourite sandals on a hot summer’s day, all because your feet look like they are so rough they could sand paper the first few layers off an antique wooden table.  For most of us, winter is a happy time when we can wear closed shoes and boots and not have to worry about taking exceptional care of our feet.

Going to a salon for a pedicure can cost you hundreds of rands every few weeks. As well as expensive, it can be time-consuming and sometimes embarrassing.

The good news is that do-it-yourself body care has improved dramatically over the past few years and looking after your feet is no longer as difficult as it used to be. Products are now more readily available and they are easier to use.

Looking after your feet is important for your health as well as your self-esteem. Most people do not find feet attractive and, let’s be honest, they are quite weird looking. However, that should give you even more reason to look after them.

It is important to follow a few steps when giving yourself a pedicure.

Firstly, make sure to remove any old nail polish that you may have on your toenails. Then take a pumice stone and rub it along all the rough edges of your feet, which can be either wet or dry.  You can also use an automatic pumice stone, which many manufacturers are producing. If a pumice stone is too rough for your feet, you can use a foot file, which does exactly the same job except it is slightly gentler on your feet.

Rinse any excess skin off of your feet. If you pumiced or filed your feet while they were dry, you will notice a lot of white powder (skin); if your feet were wet, the shedding of the skin may not be so obvious. Nevertheless, be sure to rinse your feet.

You can then clip or file your toenails into the shape that you prefer and apply a cuticle treatment along the cuticles. Once the cuticle treatment has been absorbed, you can apply a foot cream that is best for your feet: if you have calluses, apply a callus cream; if you have dry feet, apply a hydrating foot cream, etc.

Once the cream has been absorbed completely, you can apply a nail polish of your choice, making sure to apply two coats and to let dry between each layer.

You can now wear any pair of sandals your heart desires. Just make sure to maintain your hard work by pumicing or filing off any excess skin from your feet once every two weeks, or whenever you feel it is necessary.

Now you can go out and put your best foot forward!